Love or Lust?
by XhungergamesX97
Summary: When Liam abandons Tony's stag night and goes of on his own after Carla tells him it's over, Tony's plan is put on hold, but for how long? With Liam still alive and the wedding coming up, will Carla go through with it or will she give in to temptation? Read to find out. Rated T for mild violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

Coronation Street  
Carla/Liam

Chapter One

Carla stared at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't believe it; she was getting married, again. She saw her beautiful white wedding dress, but all she could think about was her night of passion with Liam, the love of her life. She knew she was hurting him, but what could she do? She had to marry Tony; she had to forget about Liam; he had Maria and the baby to think about now. Despite the fact that Maria was pregnant, Liam insisted that it was Carla he wanted. She wanted to believe him, she really did, but she didn't want him to hurt her again; a kid really changes things. She felt the tears run down her cheeks, smudging her perfect make-up and that just made her cry more. Her best friend, Leanne, entered the room and saw her crying straight away.

"Carla, what's wrong?" She asked already knowing the answer. It was Liam, it had to be. After their deep conversation in the restaurant toilet on Carla's hen night, they had become very close. Leanne was always there when Carla needed to talk; it wasn't like she could talk to anyone else. "Come 'ere" She said when Carla didn't respond. Leanne pulled her into a tight embrace and told her it would all be okay, what else could she do?

"I'm sorry" Carla said suddenly and pulled away. "Look at the state of me" She continued, touching her face, where her once stunning make-up had been. "It's my wedding day and I'm crying over something that would never have worked out."

Leanne tried to give her a reassuring smile and touched Carla's arm in an attempt to comfort her. "Listen, Carla, if you love him and he loves you, then…what's stopping you?" Leanne found herself repeating the same things over again. "He knows about the baby now, and he still wants to be with you" Leanne finished, she was right and Carla knew it. But Carla also knew that Liam's number one priority would be his kid, and who could blame him? And then there was the question; would Maria get rid of the baby when Liam left her? Carla didn't want that on her conscience.

"I can't, Leanne" She said. "He'll go running back to his wife the second she has his kid, I don't want him to hurt me again" She let out a small sob and tear fell from her already damp eyes but she quickly wiped it away.

"What if he doesn't? You'll never know" Leanne replied, all she wanted was to see her best friend happy again. "Just give him a chance, talk to him." Carla nodded finally and took out her make-up and attempted to re-do it. She wiped away all of the smudged areas and began putting more on.

"I'll talk to him" She agreed, while touching up her make-up. She turned to Leanne for the first time and gave her a half smile. She grabbed her phone from the side and sent a quick text to Liam.

Liam was with Tony, helping him get ready for the big day that Liam was dreading so much. Liam, as the best man, had to be with Tony the whole day. He didn't particularly like Tony; after all he was marrying the girl Liam loved.

Carla hadn't left his mind since the night she had told him she didn't love him, but he was sure she had just said it because she knew Maria was pregnant. After she had left him that night, Liam left the party and went off on his own. He had stayed out the whole night and Maria had been furious when he returned. She had told him about the baby shortly after and he had realised Carla wouldn't run away with him because of it. Liam had tried to act pleased but secretly he hated the idea of having a kid with Maria; he wanted Carla. He had called Carla the moment he found out, however it had gone straight to voicemail but he left a message telling her that he didn't care that Maria was having his baby; he just wanted her. He hadn't got a reply.

Liam looked up a Tony in his black suit, with a white shirt and a blue tie, he was jealous. Liam wanted to be where Tony was right now, he wanted to be marrying Carla. Liam would have to stand with Tony as Carla walked to down the aisle, he would have to bare the rings, even the thought made him feel sick.

"Liam, we all set?" Tony asked, his face gleaming. Liam gave him a fake smile and nodded his head. "You got the rings?" He asked seriously.

Liam tapped his pocket and smiled again. "Yep, wouldn't forget them, mate" Just then his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and read the text from Carla. _Liam we need to talk. _It read. Liam felt his heart race and his stomach flip. He quickly sent a text back. _Okay, where? _He was grinning at his phone.

"Who was that?" Came a broad Scottish accent and Liam jumped; he had almost forgotten he was there. Tony knew it must have been Carla, the way his face had lit up like that. Tony still hadn't got over the fact that Liam went off on his stag night and ruined his whole plan to get rid of the annoying, interfering bastard.

"Just Maria" Liam said quickly, too quickly. Tony nodded unconvinced. Liam got a reply to his text moments later. _Come to the flat. _Liam tried to think of an excuse. _Okay, be there in 10. _"I have to just go over there and see Maria" Liam said the first thing that came to his head. "She just wants to talk to me about something"

"What?" Tony asked, trying to make things harder for Liam.

"I dunno yet" He said, heading towards the door. "But if I'm not back in half an hour, send out a search party" He joked and hurried out of the door. Tony knew exactly where he was going and why, and he didn't like it.

Carla was scared; she didn't know what to say to him. Leanne had given her helpful advice but still she was nervous, did she go through with it? Leave Tony and run away with Liam? Or did she tell Liam to back off and leave her alone? She knew which she wanted, but was it right? Leanne had got the girls out of the way, they had gone to the pub to get some champagne; Leanne had insisted that Carla needed to be alone.

She heard the buzz of her door and nearly jumped out of her skin, there were butterflies in her stomach and she felt slightly nauseous. She went over to the door and picked up the phone. "Yeah?" She asked. Her hands were shaking and her voice sounded nervous.

"It's me" said the reply. Carla pushed the button allowing him to come up; she unlocked the front door and waited anxiously. When he appeared in the door way her stomach flipped; she loved him so much but her conscience was full of guilt. He walked slowly over to where she stood and placed himself inches from her. He saw a tear run down her cheek and he wiped it away gently.

"Liam…" She started, trying to find the right words.

"Don't say anything" He said, pulling her into an embrace. She clung onto him, never wanting to let him go but reality set in and she pulled back.

"Listen" She said. "It has to stop" She continued. She saw hurt in his face and it hurt her to see him like that. "The texting, the flirting, this" She sighed, knowing this wasn't what either of them wanted.

"You called me all the way over here to tell me that?" He asked his voice breaking. "Carla, you wouldn't have asked me to come 'ere if you didn't want me as much as I want you"

"No Liam, you're wrong. I love Tony, I'm marrying Tony" She stated.

"Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?" He asked. He was right and she knew it, she thought if she said it enough times she would eventually come to love Tony but she was only fooling herself.

"You had me Liam, and you chose Maria" She said suddenly. "I can't let it happen again"

"It won't" he said. "Listen to me, I love you, not Maria, It's always been you" She fought to hold back the tears. "I know you don't believe me or trust me but I know we can be happy together" She turned away from him and poured herself a glass of wine while the tears tried to fall, but she wouldn't let them. "Remember when you told me not to make the biggest mistake of my life?" He asked. She turned around and nodded, she was slightly shocked. "And I didn't listen and now we're here and I'm telling you the same thing, Carla, don't make the mistake that I made" This hit her hard, she remember all of her conversations with Liam about marrying Maria and it broke her heart when he ignored her.

"I'm sorry Liam" Was all she could say. He sighed and knew there was nothing more he could do; he just hoped he could eventually make her see sense, just like he had.

"I'll see you later then" He said as he exited her flat. She managed to fight the tears that threatened to fall and downed the remains of wine in her glass before pouring another. She would marry Tony and force herself to be happy with him, maybe they would move away so she could forget all about her brother in law. She knew it would never happen; she could never bring herself to leave this place. She would never sell the factory; there were just too many memories. Even if she did bring herself to sell the factory, could she leave Liam forever?

Liam hurried out of the flat, feeling heart broken. All this was just like history repeating itself; the situation before his and Maria's wedding had been exactly the same. Back then he could never bring himself to walk away from Maria, it was just the same now; Carla couldn't walk away from Tony; she didn't want to hurt him.

Liam made his way back to his house, where Tony was getting ready. Tony greeted him with a smile and asked if everything was alright, Liam had replied with simple one word answers to all of his questions, until he had asked what Maria had wanted. Luckily, Liam had already thought of this. He told Tony that Maria called him to talk to him about the baby and that she had to change the date of her scan because of the wedding and was wondering what he was doing on that date. Tony had been unconvinced and asked him why she couldn't do that over the phone and Liam simply responded with a shrug and a 'don't know, I guess she just wanted to see me' he had laughed a little after that. Tony had, thankfully, left it there and there was no more talk on the subject.

Leanne, Michelle and Maria turned up just after Liam had left. They had a bottle of champagne and wide grins on their faces. Carla tried to force a smile, they all saw it but just thought it was nerves so said nothing. Leanne gave Carla a questioning glance but she just shrugged. Leanne knew that Carla had bottled it, again.

"Let's go" Carla said after they had emptied the bottle of champagne. Maria and Michelle laughed, whereas Leanne stayed quiet. Leanne couldn't just sit back and let her best friend destroy her life. She had to do something, but what? What could she do? They all hurried out of the door and into the street where the car that would take them to the church. When they arrived, Carla stepped out of the car and looked up at the Church, where shortly she would marry Tony. Truth was she was dreading it.

Carla went into the church, behind her walked Leanne, Maria and Michelle. She walked down the aisle to where she saw Liam and Tony standing. Liam was staring at her; it was like he couldn't look away. She couldn't help but look at him either; he was the man that she loved, but he was also the man she had to leave behind. She thought she was doing the right thing for them both, Maria needed him, _but so do I, _said a voice in the back of her head. She gulped down the fear and guilt as she stood opposite to the man she was about to marry. Her eyes, however, firmly fixed on her lovers.

Tony saw the interaction between the two lovers and turned to the vicar as if to tell him to hurry up. The vicar saw this and proceeded quickly.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the presence of this company, to unite Carla Connor and Antony Gordon in holy matrimony…" The Vicar spoke but Carla didn't acknowledge his presence; she was lost in Liam's eyes. Tony smiled and squeezed Carla's hand, bringing her back to reality and Carla gave him a half smile back. "Before we begin, if there's any person here who knows of any lawful impediment of why these people should not be joined in matrimony, you should declare it now." There was suddenly a silence and Liam felt the words on the tip of his tongue; this was his last chance. He glanced at Carla and she shook her head, begging him not to say anything. He thought about it for a moment, he wanted to shout it out, tell everyone he loved her but was that what she wanted? No, it wasn't. He could see the sadness in her eyes and knew if he told everyone there, he would only make things worse, so he swallowed his words and kept quiet.

Leanne saw the movement of Liam's lips, as if he was going to say something but he didn't. Leanne felt the same, she wanted to stop the wedding; she didn't want to see her best friend marry someone she knew she wasn't in love with, but it wasn't her place to say anything.

"Right" The vicar said after a moment's silence. Carla heard Tony breathe a sigh of relief and she wondered why. Did he know? Surely not. "Antony, repeat after me" The vicar turned his head slightly to look at Tony. "I do solemnly declare" He said and Tony confidently repeated the words. "That I know not of any Lawful Impediment" Tony once again repeated the words with a grin on his face. "Why I, Antony Gordon should not be joined in matrimony to Carla Connor" Carla watched as Tony finished the sentence in his broad, slightly irritating, Scottish accent.

"Carla, repeat after me" She felt her stomach flip, could she really do this? "I do solemnly declare"

There was a short pause, while Carla processed the words in her head. "I do solemnly declare" She muttered in a quiet voice, the complete opposite to Tony's confident and bellowing tone.

"That I know not of any lawful impediment" She found herself repeating the words. "Why I, Carla Connor, should not be joined in matrimony to Antony Gordon" Liam watched as Carla stumbled on her words and seemed to choke them out. He knew he was going to find it hard to sit through this. Liam placed the rings in front of the pair and slowly backed away, catching Carla's eye as he went. "I give you this ring" The vicar continued.

"I give you this ring" Tony repeated, still smiling proudly. "As a token of our marriage" He said after the vicar, slowly placing the ring on Carla's finger. "As a symbol of all that we share" Liam sat and watched quietly as Carla put the ring on Tony's finger declaring their marriage. Liam just about stomached it.

"I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, Antony Gordon, do take thee, Carla Connor, to be my lawful wedded wife" Tony announced after the vicar. "And I promise to love, honour, cherish and respect you for as long as we both shall live" Tony squeezed Carla's hand tightly, never wanting to let her go.

It was now Carla's turn; she scanned the room and saw Liam's glum looking face. "I call upon these persons here present-" She started to repeat what the vicar had said but suddenly she heard someone get up. Liam couldn't listen to anymore; he had to get out of there or he might throw up. He quickly got up and rushed out of the church, fully aware that everyone was staring at him. He exited with a loud bang and rushed around the corner gagging, as he threw his guts up. He spat on the ground in an attempt to get rid of the vile taste in his mouth but had no success. He turned around and leaned up against the church stone wall and felt the tears begin to fall down his cheeks.

Back in the church, Carla was shocked at Liam's exit and had found herself speechless as her eyes stared at the doors Liam had just ran out of. How were they going to explain this one? "It's okay" She heard the familiar Scottish accent and she quickly turned her head to face him. She shook her head once and saw, out of the corner of her eye, Maria heading towards the door. Carla suddenly panicked, what if he told her? She turned and followed Maria out of the church without saying a word.

The guests were all sitting opened mouthed at what they had just witnessed and had already started gossiping and making up all sorts of reasons for the events that had just taken place. "I'm sure everything's fine" Tony said. "Just give us a minute" He then walked up the aisle and made for the door, Michelle then got up and followed.

Outside, Liam was still up against the wall, heartbroken. Maria ran over to him asking him what was wrong but he couldn't seem to find the strength to reply. Carla then appeared and Liam's face lit up, he peered round Maria and was delighted to see that Carla had abandoned her wedding for him. But she looked worried and sad and angry all at the same time.

"What do you want?" Maria asked. Liam quickly stood up tall and moved round Maria.

"Leave it out Maria" Liam said defending his lover. Maria looked shocked. "Look Carla, I'm sorry, but I can't lie anymore"

"Liam…" She tried to think of something that would stop him. "…Don't" Was all that came to her.

"What's going on?" Asked Maria, who started to get a worrying tone in her voice.

"I love Carla"


	2. Chapter 2

Coronation Street  
Carla/Liam

**A/N:** I have written and re-written these fist two chapters more times than I can count, but finally I got it. Thanks to all the people that reviewed my last chapter and those that are continuing to read this. Reviews really help, they inspire me to want to write more, knowing that people like it so please review and tell me what you think. Hopefully I can update this regularly, but I do have a life outside of Fanfiction, so bear with me. But anyway, here is the second chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

As soon as the words left his mouth, Liam felt a huge relief, like a weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders. Carla looked shocked; she never thought he would actually do what he had threatened for so long. She was speechless; she couldn't think of any excuses that would make this better. Maria watched as the two exchanged glances. Carla looked was angry whereas Liam looked relieved. She was also speechless, what had she just heard? Liam, her husband, the father to her unborn baby, had just declared his love for someone else in front of her. She felt the tears she knew would fall.

"You what?" Came an angry voice from behind them, all three of them turned to face the voice. Michelle was standing there, opened mouthed at what she had just witnessed. Tony was slightly in front of her, he was scowling. "What's going on?" She asked turning to her brother.

"That's what I would like to know" Came the voice of the Scotsman. Carla bowed her head and turned away from them both. She also felt the tears threatening to fall. "Well?" His eyes went from Liam's to Maria's and finally resting on Carla's back. Carla could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. She turned back round to face them. Someone had to say something, anything. She saw the hurt in Tony's eyes and the confusion in Michelle's. She opened he mouth to speak but nothing came out, what could she say? The silence was eerie and it felt like someone was screaming at her.

Liam felt the guilt rise up in his throat but he quickly swallowed it. "I love Carla" Liam said again, no longer afraid of anything now it was all out in the open. "I'm sorry Maria, but I can't help how I feel" He said, speaking to Maria but his eyes never leaving Carla, his lover. Carla knew now that there was no going back. "Carla…" He started trying to think of the right words.

She didn't dare look him in the eye; she knew for sure that she would just break down. Maria was the next to speak. "What?" She asked, her voice broken. "How long…? What…? When...? How…?" She stumbled over her words, unsure of what she was trying to say. The tears were like waterfalls now, flowing down her make-up stained cheeks. Michelle quickly hurried to her and embraced her tightly, stroking her hair.

Carla was still silent and Tony didn't like it. "What's wrong Carla? Cat got your tongue?" He asked, forcing her to look up from the ground she seemed to like so much.

"What do you want me to say?" She said in a quiet, soft tone. Her voice was emotionless and she refused to look any of the people around her in the eye. This moment was exactly what she had been trying to avoid.

"Anything Carla" He raised his tone a little and she could hear the anger building up inside of him.

"I'm sorry" She choked out; she couldn't lie anymore, not now. Lying had evidently got her nowhere so maybe the truth might help sort out this mess.

"Let's not do this 'ere hey" Said Michelle's comforting but slightly irritated tone.

"Do you have a better place in mind, Michelle?" Came Tony's intimidating tone. His eyes went from Michelle's to Carla's. "I mean this is our wedding day, Carla" He paused before turning to Liam. "I try to do the right thing, put the past in the past, but you couldn't leave it could you? You had to just keep coming back for more." Liam gulped. "I even made you my best man as a gesture of good will, but you just wouldn't accept it, you wouldn't leave my fiancé alone, would you?" Liam didn't say anything, he couldn't.

"You knew?" Maria asked, still sobbing. She couldn't believe it, Tony had known, this entire time and yet said nothing. He was still prepared to marry Carla, knowing that she was having an affair with her brother-in-law.

"Of course I knew" He bellowed. "A blind man could have seen it" He stared into Maria's eyes. "You knew too, Maria. At your wedding, at your baby's funeral, you knew something was going on but you chose to ignore it, just as I did" Maria stepped back slightly as Tony neared her; he scared her. She was silent after that.

"You knew, but you said nothing" Carla said, confused as to why he would ignore it.

"I didn't think it would last" He stated simply. "I thought you would forget about him and grow to love me" Following this was a long, painful silence. After a while Tony turned on his heel and walked back towards the Church to call off the wedding.

"You two have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, but first I'm gonna get this one home" Michelle walked off to get a cab for Maria, leaving her glaring at Carla with pure hatred in her eyes.

"NO!" Maria shouted running over to Carla and grabbing fistfuls of her hair and pulling as hard as she could. Michelle ran over to her, desperately trying to get her off of Carla. "You evil bitch!"

"I'm sorry Maria" Screamed Carla but Maria was having none of it; she continued scratching and clawing at Carla's face. Carla wasn't trying to get her off of her; she knew she deserved it.

"Liam!" Shouted Michelle and Liam snapped back to reality and grabbed Maria, picking her up and pulling her away from the love of his life. Maria was screaming and kicking out trying to free herself from her husband grip.

"You whore!" Maria screamed. "How long have you been fucking him then?" Before Carla could answer, Michelle pulled Maria away and dragged her towards a cab. Pushing her inside it, she shot an evil glare at her brother and her sister-in-law. Carla heard the gasps from behind at Maria's outburst and turned to find a huge crowd of wedding guest staring, some were giggling and some were completely in shock.

"What are you lot staring at?" She shouted as she spun around and stormed off in the opposite direction. She needed to get away, before she broke down. Liam followed her, feeling both relieved and guilty. Carla was aware of Liam behind her but she didn't glance back. She had no idea where she was going she just needed to be away from everyone. She quickened her pace, hoping that Liam would give up but knowing he never would. He was always there and he would never give up on her, ever.

"Carla" She heard his voice calling her. She automatically turned to face him.

"What do you want Liam!?" She snapped. He didn't say anything, but he looked slightly taken aback by the sharpness of her voice. Carla sighed as he walked over and took her hands in his. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I love you, Carla" He raised his thumb to wipe away her tears that were falling down her face and she let him; she loved him, but could she give into him? "Talk to me" He whispered, stroking her hair.

"I don't know what to say" She said truthfully. She could confess her love to him but then she would have to live with the consequences. Although everyone now knew about them, it wouldn't stop the hatred and pain from the people they had hurt.

"Just tell me how you feel" She bowed her head and stared at her feet. "Look at me" He said, gently bringing her head back up to face him. "Tell me" She lifted herself up and pressed her lips to his; she couldn't bring herself to say the words he so desperately wanted to hear. The kiss was soft and gentle but passionate.

"You two don't waste any time do you" Tony's Scottish accent bellowed. Carla and Liam instantly pulled away from each other and glanced over at Tony. "Just moments after everyone found out about your dirty little secret" Tony's voice was intimidating and fierce. He stepped closer to where the pair of lovers stood and gripped Liam's shoulder tightly, pulling him closer. "You'll pay for this" He said, his voice barely audible. He pulled back and put a finger to his lips, ordering Liam to keep quiet. "I will never stop loving you Carla, but I guess I have to let you go" He said before going back in the direction of the church.

"What did he say?" Carla asked when Tony was well out of ear shot. Liam didn't look at her he just stared into space, where Tony had just stood. "Liam…?"

"Nothing" He shook his head and gently touched her face. "I'm fine, everything's fine" He said, his voice shaky. Carla was unconvinced but decided to let it go for now.

"Let's go" She said but Liam ignored her; he was lost in his thoughts. What did Tony mean? What was her going to do? "Liam" Carla said again and he turned his head to her. "What's going on? What did Tony say?" Liam sighed; she would never give up, but he couldn't tell her; he didn't want to worry her. In the distance Liam could see Tony glaring at them with a smirk plastered on his face. Liam wouldn't let Tony get to him, what was the worst he going to do anyway?

"Nothing, come on" He said wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She followed him willingly but was still unconvinced; she rarely saw Liam shaken up.

* * *

After arriving back at the pub, Michelle took Maria straight through to the back and seated her on the sofa. Maria was no longer crying. She was now silent, she had been for quite a while and Michelle was starting to worry. She felt so sorry for the poor girl; the world had come crashing down on her and it was all at the hands Liam. Michelle was furious with her brother; how could he have done something like this and with Carla of all people? She just hoped that he would see senses before Carla breaks his heart.

"Come on love" Michelle said to Maria, trying to encourage her to talk. Maria lifted her head slightly to look at Michelle.

"Michelle, I don't know what to do, I mean with the baby….and…" She stopped suddenly and started crying again. Michelle put her arm round her shoulders and pulled her close. Michelle comforted her for a long while and Maria appreciated everything she was doing. She half expected Michelle to be on _their_ side. Maria sat up abruptly, Michelle was startled by her sudden movement. "I have to get rid of it" She said emotionlessly. Michelle just stared at her, shocked by what she had just heard. "I don't want to be a single mother" She continued. "It's the only way"

"Think about what you're doing Maria" Michelle said. "You need to talk to Liam first, just not today, hey" The last thing Michelle wanted was for Maria to go through with her plans, but she couldn't help thinking that it might be for the best.

* * *

Liam and Carla stepped out of the cab and stared up at Carla's flat. Carla didn't know what to do; she was scared of what would happen if she let Liam in. Would he break her heart, again? He had promised he wouldn't, he had sworn that he loved her, but could she believe him? After the last time she wasn't sure if she could trust him. But she loved him and felt like she couldn't live without him. It was all out in the open now so she could have him, all of him.

She took his hand and led him towards her front door, he followed automatically, his eyes wide with lust; he wanted her and she wanted him. As soon as they were through the door they were all over each other.


End file.
